


somewhere to fall apart

by kimaracretak



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Escapism, Female Friendship, Fluff, Gen, Tea Parties, and also a little bit of sadness because lbr this is me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 21:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4322100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimaracretak/pseuds/kimaracretak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delenn and Elizabeth have a ritual</p>
<p>(spoilers for all of season 5)</p>
            </blockquote>





	somewhere to fall apart

**Author's Note:**

> written -- oh, gosh, nearly four years ago now -- for a tumblr prompt for delenn-centric fic involving a tea party

Delenn could play around with words like “ancient Minbari ceremony of friendship” as much as she wanted, but Elizabeth Lochley knows a tea party when she sees one.  They’re sitting cross-legged on Delenn’s floor amidst mounds of colorful throw pillows, John having been firmly banished hours ago.  Well, not _really_ banished, but for the sake of his pride, they can pretend that they ordered him out - what President wants to admit that he came home, took one look at his wife and his ex-wife giggling over mugs of tea and pictures of what looked suspiciously like his Academy days, and hightailed himself to the opposite end of the station as fast as his feet and the core shuttle could take him?  Delenn and Elizabeth don’t care; the truth is writ large in their eyes, in stolen glances and quirked lips.  So the two women are left alone in their sanctuary for the night, alone with whispered secrets and tea, although Delenn has poured so much salt and caramel into hers that it’s barely tea anymore.

Neither of them expected this, but neither of them can imagine what they would do without these - oh, fine, _tea parties._ It started out a chance meeting in the Zocalo one night, Elizabeth trying fruitlessly to find escape from the rogue telepaths in the bottom of a bottle and Delenn trying fruitlessly to find Lyta to discuss the rogues’ plans for a homeworld.  They find each other instead, and in each other a brief moment of sanity.  This is before Delenn finds out about Elizabeth’s marriage to John, yes, but contrary to what most of the station would’ve thought, that only serves to drive them closer together.

Conversations move from plans for the telepaths to station business to more personal matters.  It’s Delenn who suggests that they might be more comfortable in someone’s quarters, and Elizabeth volunteers to host their first girl’s-night-slash-tea-party-slash-gossip-session without a moment’s hesitation.  It gets put off for the Brakiri Day of the Dead, and after - after, Elizabeth seeks out Delenn, because Delenn is the most spiritual person she knows, and because she doesn’t know how to understand why she was allowed to have Zoe back only to have her torn away again.  She wants nothing but to be anybody but Captain Elizabeth Lochley of Babylon 5, and in the quiet of Delenn’s quarters (which are kept mostly for appearances and business than living, but it doesn’t seem right to go to the rooms Delenn shares with John for this), she gets that chance.

Hollow eyes and a leaden tongue trace out the contours of her childhood, her whirlwind life with Zoe, and as she speaks, she realizes that she’s never trusted anyone else with this much of her life before.  Delenn understands the gift (sacrifice?) she’s making, and when Elizabeth is quiet, Delenn too begins to speak, returning the gift.  In these gifts, they find healing.

After that day, it’s like a previously unspoken line has been crossed, and suddenly nothing is off limits for them.  Some nights they’re quieter, some nights they’re a bit more lively (there was that one impromptu dance party - they _swore_ they would never speak of it again, but sometimes Delenn gets this _look_ and then…).  They’re each others’ little islands of escapism, a much needed relief from the stress and pain that comes with running a station, or the interstellar alliance.  When the public faces drop away at night, when they become _Delenn-and-Elizabeth-best-friends_ instead of _Ambassador-and-Captain-friendly-acquaintances -_ that’s when they pour tea and mock John mercilessly and debate universal truths and feel just a little more free.


End file.
